Scarborough's population increased by about 2,600 between the last two censuses. This semi-automated article highlights some of the key changes among the local population.
The population reached nearly 110,000
In the decade to 2011, the population of Scarborough increased by 2.4%, from about 106,000 to 109,000.
The addition of just under 2,600 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).
In 2011, Scarborough was home to, on average, 0.95 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.
Population density was lower than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber
Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Yorkshire and The Humber, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)
- Rest of Yorkshire and The Humber
- Scarborough
- Average across England
An older Scarborough
Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.
Between the last two censuses, the median age of Scarborough increased by three years, from 43 to 46 years.
This area had the third-highest average age in Yorkshire and The Humber and remained older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).
The rise in age was because of an increase of just over 3,500 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by just under 3,000.
About 15.0% of people in Scarborough are aged between 60 and 69 years
Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Scarborough by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011
- 2001
- 2011
Fewer people worked long hours
The percentage of employed people in Scarborough working more than 49 hours in the week before the census decreased from 13.0% to 10.5% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.
In 2011, just over 1 in 30 (3.3%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked less than 16 hours the previous week, compared with 2.2% in 2001.
The proportion of people working long hours fell here at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 12.6% in 2001 to 9.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 13.0% to 10.1%.
Long hour working in Scarborough decreased by 2.4 percentage points
Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Scarborough, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011
- 2001
- 2011
Disability in Scarborough
The percentage of Scarborough residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 89.4% to 88.5% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.
The percentage who reported being limited a lot in their day-to-day activities remained close to 3.8%, while the percentage of Scarborough residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 6.9% to 7.0%.
The proportion of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (which remained close to 89.6%). Across England, the percentage remained close to 89.8%.
The proportion of people who aren't limited by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber
Percentage of usual residents that reported not being limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011
- 2001
- 2011
Religion in Scarborough
The 2011 Census asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, the largest percentage point increase in Scarborough was among those who said they had no religion, rising 12.9 points.
In 2011, 26.5% of respondents in Scarborough gave this religion on the census compared with 13.6% of those who answered in 2001.
Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people who answered the question on religion that described themselves as having no religion increased from 15.3% to 27.8%, while across England the percentage went from 15.7% to 26.5%.
Of those who disclosed their religion in Newham, 72.0% said they were Christian, compared with 85.6% in 2001. About 0.0% said they were Sikh, compared with 0.0% 10 years prior.
The percentage of people who disclosed a religious affiliation and did not state their religion decreased from 8.5% to 8.0%.
In Scarborough, 7.4% chose not to answer the question on religious affiliation, compared with 7.9% in 2001. In Yorkshire and The Humber, 6.8% did not answer the voluntary question, compared with 7.7% in 2001. Across England, 7.2% of people did not answer, compared with 7.7% in 2001.
The population without a religion in Scarborough increased by 12 percentage points
Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Scarborough by religion, March 2001 and March 2011
- 2001
- 2011
Rise in private renting
The percentage of privately rented homes increased in Scarborough at a faster rate than in Ryedale (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Scarborough).
In Scarborough, the proportion of private renting increased from 13.5% in 2001 to 19.5% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Ryedale increased from 13.9% to 16.8%.
Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the share of privately rented homes increased from 9.1% to 15.9%.
The rate of social housing in Scarborough fell from 13.3% to 12.4%, while the rate of home ownership decreased from 70.3% to 65.8%.
Private renting in Scarborough increased by 6 percentage points
Percentage of households in Scarborough, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011
- 2001
- 2011
Health improved
The percentage of Scarborough residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 10.4% to 6.7% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.
Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.
In 2011, just under 8 in 10 (77.2%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 65.4% in 2001. The percentage of Scarborough residents that described their health as fair decreased from 24.2% to 16.2%.
The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 10.3% in 2001 to 6.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.
These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.
The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Scarborough decreased by 3.7 percentage points
Percentage of usual residents in Scarborough, Yorkshire and The Humber and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011
- 2001
- 2011
More adults are separated from partners
The percentage of adults in Scarborough that had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner increased from 11.6% to 13.3% between the last two censuses.
In 2011, just under one in two (48.9%) people aged 16 and over said they were married, compared with 53.3% in 2001. The percentage of single people in Scarborough increased from 24.5% to 28.6%.
The proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a married or civil partner increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 10.8% in 2001 to 11.9% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 10.6% to 11.6%.
The proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber
Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they had divorced or broken up with a married or civil partner across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011
- Rest of Yorkshire and The Humber
- Scarborough
- Average across England
Ethnicity in Scarborough
In 2011, 97.5% of Scarborough residents said they were from one of the White ethnic groups, making it the most common ethnicity in this local authority area. The population from these groups has increased from 99.0% in 2001.
Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people from one of the White ethnic groups fell from 93.5% to 88.8%, while across England the percentage went from 90.7% to 85.1%.
Around 1.3% of people in Scarborough said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, compared with 0.4% in 2001. About 0.8% said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), compared with 0.4% 10 years prior.
The percentage of people who said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from 0.1% to 0.2%.
The population from one of the White ethnic groups in Scarborough decreased by 1.5 percentage points
Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Scarborough by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011
- 2001
- 2011
Changing work life
The percentage of Scarborough residents that were self-employed increased from 11.0% to 11.7% in the decade to 2011.
In 2011, just under one in two (46.8%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 46.5% in 2001. The percentage of Scarborough residents that were unemployed increased from 3.6% to 4.3%.
The proportion of self-employed people increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 7.2% in 2001 to 8.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 8.2% to 9.7%.
The rate of self-employment was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber
Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 that said they were self-employed across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011
- Rest of Yorkshire and The Humber
- Scarborough
- Average across England
Changing household dynamics
The percentage of households in Scarborough, which comprised a single parent, increased from 8.6% to 9.2% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.
In 2011, just over 3 in 10 (30.7%) households had a married couple, compared with 34.8% in 2001. The percentage of households in Scarborough, which comprised a cohabiting couple, increased from 7.5% to 9.3%.
The proportion of single-parent households increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 9.5% in 2001 to 10.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.5% to 10.7%.
The percentage of households with a single-parent was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber
Percentage of households that had a single parent across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011
- Rest of Yorkshire and The Humber
- Scarborough
- Average across England
Change in unpaid care provision
The percentage of Scarborough residents that provided at least 50 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 2.5% to 2.9% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.
In 2011, 1.6% of reported providing between 20 and 49 hours of unpaid care each week, compared with 1.3% in 2001.
The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 2.3% in 2001 to 2.6% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 2.1% to 2.4%.
The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care in Scarborough remained close to 2.9%
Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Scarborough by care, March 2001 and March 2011
- 2001
- 2011
Changes in family structure
The percentage of households in Scarborough with only adult children living with their parents increased from 8.2% to 8.6% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.
In 2011, just under one in four (23.1%) households had at least one dependent child, compared with 25.4% in 2001. The percentage of households in Scarborough without children increased from 66.4% to 68.3%.
The proportion of households with adult children living with their parents increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (which remained close to 9.3%). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.4% to 9.6%.
The proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber
Percentage of households where a parent lived with their adult children across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011
- Rest of Yorkshire and The Humber
- Scarborough
- Average across England
Area report data
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Dataset | 16 January 2022
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